John Williams (gastroenterologist)

He trained in medicine at Cambridge University and St Thomas' Hospital in London, qualifying in 1970. His early career was spent in the Royal Navy, where he trained as a gastroenterologist in naval hospitals in Plymouth and Portsmouth, and in London. With Sir Godfrey Milton-Thompson, Roy Pounder and George Misiewicz he evaluated the first H2-receptor antagonists to be given to man,{{cite journal|title=Inhibition of nocturnal acid secretion in duodenal ulcer by one oral dose of metiamide. |date=3 February 2017 |pmid=4132419 | volume=1 |issue=7860 |journal=Lancet |pages=693–4 |vauthors=Milton-Thompson GJ, Williams JG, Jenkins DJ, Misiewicz JJ |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(74)92901-8 }} refining new techniques to assess acid secretion,{{cite journal| doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(75)90434-1|pmid=53554|volume=306|issue=7944|year=1975|journal=The Lancet|pages=1069–1072|author=Pounder R|title=24-Hour Control of Intragastric Acidity by Cimetidine in Duodenal-Ulcer Patients|s2cid=5684691 }}{{cite journal|title=Inhibition of food-stimulated gastric acid secretion by cimetidine |date=3 February 2017 |pmc=1411161 | pmid=5342 |volume=17 |issue=3 |journal=Gut |pages=161–8 |vauthors=Pounder RE, Williams JG, Russell RC, Milton-Thompson GJ, Misiewicz JJ |doi=10.1136/gut.17.3.161 }} and demonstrating efficacy in duodenal ulcer disease, a common cause of significant morbidity in sailors.{{cite journal|jstor=20472984|title=Relief of Duodenal Ulcer Symptoms By Oral Metiamide|author1=R. E. Pounder|author2=J. G. Williams|author3=G. J. Milton-Thompson|author4=J. J. Misiewicz|journal=The British Medical Journal|volume=2|issue=5966|date=10 May 1975|pages=307–309|doi=10.1136/bmj.2.5966.307|pmid=236804|pmc=1681913}} In 1982, he led a Surgical Support Team in the campaign to retake the Falklands Islands, overseeing the conversion of SS Canberra to take casualties, and driving the development and implementation of a simple resuscitation regime for mass casualties that was used successfully ashore.{{cite journal|url=http://www.bmj.com/content/286/6367/775 |title=Resuscitation experience in the Falkland Islands campaign. |publisher=The BMJ |date=5 March 1983 |pmid=6402248 |accessdate=15 June 2017|last1=Williams |first1=J. G. |last2=Riley |first2=T. R. |last3=Moody |first3=R. A. |journal=British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) |volume=286 |issue=6367 |pages=775–777 |doi=10.1136/bmj.286.6367.775 |pmc=1547002 }} As Professor of Naval Medicine from 1984 to 1988 he oversaw the postgraduate training of naval physicians and research in the medical specialties.

He retired from the Royal Navy in 1988 and was appointed to Swansea University, as the founding director of the School of Postgraduate Studies in Medical and Healthcare, the precursor of Swansea University Medical School. He pioneered the development of health services and informatics research, leading to the recognition of Swansea as a founding Centre of Excellence in the Farr Institute.{{cite web|url=http://www.farrinstitute.org/ |title=The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research |publisher=Farrinstitute.org |accessdate=15 June 2017}} From 2002 to 2007 he was Director of the Wales Office of Research and Development, a post in which he created the Clinical Research Collaboration Cymru.{{cite web|url=https://www.healthandcareresearch.gov.wales/professor-john-williams-cbe/ |title=Professor John Williams CBE |website=Healthandcareresearch.gov.wales |accessdate=15 June 2017}}

As a clinical and health services researcher he has led major trials of treatment{{cite journal|title=Infliximab versus ciclosporin for steroid-resistant acute severe ulcerative colitis (CONSTRUCT): a mixed methods, open-label, pragmatic randomised trial|journal=The Lancet. Gastroenterology & Hepatology|year=2016 |pmid=27595142 |last1=Williams |first1=J. G. |last2=Alam |first2=M. F. |last3=Alrubaiy |first3=L. |last4=Arnott |first4=I. |last5=Clement |first5=C. |last6=Cohen |first6=D. |last7=Gordon |first7=J. N. |last8=Hawthorne |first8=A. B. |last9=Hilton |first9=M. |last10=Hutchings |first10=H. A. |last11=Jawhari |first11=A. U. |last12=Longo |first12=M. |last13=Mansfield |first13=J. |last14=Morgan |first14=J. M. |last15=Rapport |first15=F. |last16=Seagrove |first16=A. C. |last17=Sebastian |first17=S. |last18=Shaw |first18=I. |last19=Travis |first19=S. P. |last20=Watkins |first20=A. |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=15–24 |doi=10.1016/S2468-1253(16)30003-6 |pmc=4994668 }} and service delivery,{{cite journal|url=http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b231 |title=Effectiveness of nurse delivered endoscopy: findings from randomised multi-institution nurse endoscopy trial (MINuET) |publisher=The BMJ |date=10 February 2009 |pmid=19208714 |accessdate=15 June 2017|last1=Williams |first1=J. |last2=Russell |first2=I. |last3=Durai |first3=D. |last4=Cheung |first4=W. Y. |last5=Farrin |first5=A. |last6=Bloor |first6=K. |last7=Coulton |first7=S. |last8=Richardson |first8=G. |journal=BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) |volume=338 |pages=b231 |doi=10.1136/bmj.b231 |pmc=2643440 }}{{cite journal|url=http://www.bmj.com/content/320/7234/544 |title=Open access follow up for inflammatory bowel disease: pragmatic randomised trial and cost effectiveness study |publisher=The BMJ |date=26 February 2000 |pmid=10688560 |accessdate=15 June 2017|last1=Williams |first1=J. G. |last2=Cheung |first2=W. Y. |last3=Russell |first3=I. T. |last4=Cohen |first4=D. R. |last5=Longo |first5=M. |last6=Lervy |first6=B. |journal=BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) |volume=320 |issue=7234 |pages=544–548 |doi=10.1136/bmj.320.7234.544 |pmc=27297 }} and developed patient focused approaches to the measurement of quality of life and outcome,{{cite journal|title=Development of a measure of the health-related quality of life of children in public care. |date=3 February 2017 |pmid=15948877 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2214.2005.00520.x |volume=31 |issue=4 |journal=Child: Care, Health and Development |pages=409–15 |vauthors=Upton P, Maddocks A, Eiser C, Barnes PM, Williams J |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal|title=Development and validation of the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Satisfaction Questionnaire (GESQ). |date=3 February 2017 |pmid=26349066 | doi=10.1055/s-0034-1392547 |volume=47 |issue=12 |journal=Endoscopy |pages=1137–43 |vauthors=Hutchings HA, Cheung WY, Alrubaiy L, Durai D, Russell IT, Williams JG |url=https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21439 }}{{cite journal|title=Psychometric development of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Questionnaire (GSRQ) demonstrated good validity. |date=3 February 2017 |pmid=25922278 | doi=10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.03.019 |volume=68 |issue=10 |journal=J Clin Epidemiol |pages=1176–83 |vauthors=Hutchings HA, Cheung WY, Russell IT, Durai D, Alrubaiy L, Williams JG |url=https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa20510/Download/0020510-24032015142057.pdf }} and the use of routine data for research.{{cite journal|title=Can randomised trials rely on existing electronic data? A feasibility study to explore the value of routine data in health technology assessment. |date=3 February 2017 |pmid=14499049 | volume=7 |issue=26 |journal=Health Technol Assess |pages=iii, v–x, 1–117 |vauthors=Williams JG, Cheung WY, Cohen DR, Hutchings HA, Longo MF, Russell IT |doi=10.3310/hta7260 |doi-access=free }} These studies have informed developments in service delivery in gastroenterology and in 2009 he was invited to deliver the Endoscopy Foundation Lecture at the Annual Meeting of the British Society of Gastroenterology.{{cite web|url=http://www.bsg.org.uk/images/stories/docs/education/2009_bsg_prog_text.pdf |title=A1181-BSG Annual meeting Programme v3.indd |publisher=Bsg.org.uk |accessdate=15 June 2017}} As Director of the Health Informatics Unit at the Royal College of Physicians he has led the development of national standards for the structure and content of patient records and communications,{{cite web|url=http://www.aomrc.org.uk/publications/reports-guidance/standards-for-the-clinical-structure-and-content-of-patient-records-0713/ |title=Standards for the Clinical Structure and Content of Patient Records – Academy of Medical Royal Colleges |publisher=Aomrc.org.uk |date=28 July 2013 |accessdate=15 June 2017}} to improve the quality of record keeping and data returns.{{cite journal|title=Standards in medical record keeping. |date=3 February 2017 |pmid=12938746 |pmc=5351947 | volume=3 |issue=4 |journal=Clin Med (Lond) |pages=329–32 |vauthors=Mann R, Williams J |doi=10.7861/clinmedicine.3-4-329 }} These standards are now embodied in national policy, and will be fundamental to the success a paperless NHS,{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384650/NIB_Report.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-06-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425112320/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384650/NIB_Report.pdf |archivedate=25 April 2017 |df=dmy-all }} and the introduction of precision medicine, by ensuring that sufficiently detailed data can be recorded in structured form in patient records.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) – for services to Medicine (2014)

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Category:Living people

Category:Welsh scholars and academics

Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

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Category:Royal Navy Medical Service officers